A
governor is indispensable
in every society. A ship's crew requires a captain;
a bank, a manager; and a Sabbath-school, a
superintendent. It is impossible to have a good
school without an efficient head. It cannot be
expected that a number of teachers, accidentally
associated, should act in concert without a
presiding mind. A school without a superintendent is
not a
school, but a number of
separate classes, as isolated as if they met in
different apartments; for, though the teachers
should agree upon a general plan, there being no one
to enforce it, each teacher, in a little while, will
take his own way.

It is an awkward remedy for the
want of a superintendent, to make one of the
teachers leave his class for a few minutes at the
opening and closing of the school. Where the school
is
small, this may be a
necessary arrangement; but in all other
circumstances it is highly injurious. The common
apology for it is, that teachers being scarce, one
cannot be spared from his class for the mere purpose
of superintending. The apology is insufficient. For,
as a small body of troops well disciplined and
generalled is more efficient than a much larger
company acting irregularly, so the promotion of a
suitable individual from the ranks of the teachers
to the office of superintendent, by giving unity to
the school, will at once increase its efficiency.
One of the principal causes of the disorganisation
of many schools, is the absence of superintending
care. The classes are not properly arranged ; the
attendance of the scholars and teachers is not
marked; and order is very imperfectly provided for,
whenever a school is left without a head. The first
step to a better system must be the choice of a good
superintendent. The duties of the superintendent
form the subject of the present chapter.

1. On him devolves the whole
organisation of the school. With the teachers as his
privy council, he must take an intelligent survey of
the capacities and education of the scholars; the
best modes of teaching, arranging, and managing
classes; and, to the best of his power, put the
whole school in working order. It ought to be his
aim to make his a
model school, superior to
every one yet in being, in which all former faults
are avoided, and the results of experience are in
full operation. A full schoolroom, and a busy,
lively school, should be a great object of ambition
with both superintendent and teachers.

Incessant change of plan or
purpose is to be guarded against. Novelty has little
merit in itself. Alterations should not be made
without serious deliberation; and what has been
determined upon must have sufficient trial before
being abandoned.

2. The superintendent should see
that the laws of the school are executed. He must,
for this end, scrupulously observe them himself.
Instead of setting himself above the laws, he should
be an example of obedience, and mark the value of
the laws by the respect which he pays to them.
Neither teachers nor scholars will long reverence a
precept which they see their leader habitually
despise. A command comes with a bad grace from the
lips of any one who has just been transgressing it
himself. Regularity, punctuality, a devout
deportment, and a respectful manner to his
fellow-teachers, are more necessary to him than to
any other individual in the school. Both his faults
and his excellencies are more marked.

In executing the laws of the
school, one essential quality is
firmness. It brings the
whole government of a school into contempt, when a
law which has been deliberately made and announced,
and as deliberately violated, is not vindicated
owing to the laxity or imbecility of the
superintendent. If a boy, for example, attempts to
leave his class and the school without permission
(no unusual occurrence), contrary to the express
regulations of the school, what is the use of a
superintendent who does not peremptorily enforce the
regulation?

Many
excellent and intelligent teachers make indifferent
superintendents from want of firmness. When no case
is before them; they understand what ought to be
done; but in the presence of the offender, their
feelings get the better of their judgment, and they
pass the offence, as they say, for this time; but,
as often as the fault is committed, it is again and
again pardoned. A superintendent requires to be a
good disciplinarian—one who has a high standard of
order, and is determined to carry out his views. The
most trifling regulation should be enforced, or it
should be abolished; for, as there ought to be no
law on the code without its use, every law should be
implicitly obeyed.

If it be asked, How is this to
be done 'I we reply, that any one who shews that he
is not to be trifled with, and who i^,
consistent in enforcing
every law, will rarely have much difficulty in
securing ready obedience. When it is known or
suspected, however, from the thoroughly bad
character of a scholar, that he will disobey, the
experiment ought not to be openly made ; a more
private mode of dealing with him must be adopted.
One successful rebellion will infect a whole school.

In being firm, avoid noise and
blustering. The more quietly an order is issued,
consistent with authority, it will have the more
effect; it does not ruffle the mind; and its very
quietness insures obedience. The lighter that a yoke
is, it is the easier borne.

Firmness is quite consistent
with
kindness. We recollect of
admiring the manner in which a superintendent
insinuated a rebuke to a teacher. The teacher had
neglected to visit a scholar who was sick. The
superintendent said to him, "I am sure John and his
mother would take a visit from you so kindly." An
officer being about to sit down to dinner with his
colonel in a sort of undress, remarked carelessly, "
I'll dress after dinner."uBefore
dinner, you mean," was the quiet but effectual
rebuke.

We doubt the propriety, in
Sabbath-schools at least, of making the children
judges in cases of discipline. The Sabbath hours are
too precious to afford time for the necessary
deliberation ; and we are not sure but that the best
way of teaching reverence for the law is to obey it,
and enforce obedience.

A superintendent should not
interfere directly with the scholars. Mrs Davids
recommends him to say, "I will thank the teachers to
keep their classes in order;" "a boy in Mr A.'s
class is behaving badly;" or, "I cannot give out the
hymn till the teachers have procured silence:"
instead of bawling out in a stentorian voice,
"James, I will not have such behaviour in the
school: be quiet directly." A private hint to the
teachers about the conduct of their classes, or a
more
general command, might be
equally effective. " When the superintendent gives
the order for
silence, the teachers,
instead of saying, 'Be still, Emma,' 'Be quiet,
Lucy,' ought
themselves to be silent.
It has more effect."

The
eye is a powerful
instrument of discipline. Few scholars will stand
the steady look of a superintendent. It has the
great merit of being perfectly noiseless.

3. The superintendent ought to
give the general address, if there is one, and
conduct the general examination. All the other
teachers should, however, be tried in their turn,
until those are found who are able to conduct it
well. Some, with a little experience, will become
efficient; and others, it will be evident, are not
qualified for this duty : these latter should not be
employed a second time, or at least very rarely.
What the superintendent has to consider is,
the good of the school,
not the silly vanity of individual teachers. It is
quite easy, by quiet kindness, so to pass by those
whom nature has not intended for public speakers as
to give no just ground of complaint.

If the superintendent finds
himself surpassed ,by several of the teachers in the
power of interesting the children, he should not
keep them in the background merely because of his
being superintendent; rather let him shew, on all
occasions, that the one thing about which he is
interested is the prosperity of the school; and
that, as he occasionally requires the teachers to
make some sacrifice of feeling, he is equally ready
to do so himself.

A stranger should not be asked
to address the school, or engage in prayer, unless
the superintendent knows something of him, and that
he is able to speak to the purpose.

4. The superintendent should
keep the general roll-book of the school, or see
that it is kept; that the attendance in school is
duly registered; and that all the teachers have
scholars, and all the scholars teachers. He should
receive new scholars, and. place them in their
classes, listen to complaints, settle disputes,
answer inquiries, interest himself in all the
details, and, in short, make himself universally
useful in the school.

He ought not to take the class
of an absent teacher. In any school but a very small
one, much disorder will be the inevitable result.
But, as he will usually have some spare time after
attending to his own direct duties, he may
profitably employ himself in taking the class of one
of the junior teachers, and give him the benefit of
his experience in teaching. It is not indispensable
to usefulness in this way that he be superior to the
teacher; it is sufficient that the teaching is
different.

5. It is a question whether the
superintendent ought to be elected annually, or for
a longer period, and by whom he is to be chosen. A
congregation, in placing their children at
Sabbath-school, may feel that they ought to have
some voice in choosing the superintendent. On the
other hand, there is likely to be more harmony in
the school, when the teachers feel that he is not
imposed on them, but is their own choice.

An old man, who has not had
previous experience, should not be selected, as his
mind is not flexible enough to adapt itself to its
new situation.

If the election is annual,
advantage ought not to be taken of it to displace an
efficient superintendent. "The longer a man is at
the helm, the better he will steer." Yet a change of
president not unfrequently puts new life into a
school, even when the former superintendent was
efficient. We shall say little about the personal
character of the superintendent, and his
qualifications. These may be gathered with
sufficient distinctness from the nature of his
duties. There is no stereotype character for a
superintendent, any more than for the governor of
any other society; and persons of very different
dispositions may succeed equally well. That he must
be a good man, is a matter of course. He must not be
passionate; for, if he cannot rule his own spirit,
how shall he rule the spirits of others ?

He must be conscientious; for,
having none above him, obedience to law must be
spontaneous. But, especially, he must be a
man of method, whose
natural disposition is to reduce chaos into order,
and make the different wheels of his machine move in
harmony. Let such a superintendent realise the value
of his office, and, under a solemn sense of his
responsibility, commend himself to God, and He will
make his grace sufficient for him.

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